The invention relates to a scanning microscope for optically measuring an object.
Such a scanning microscope comprises a lens, a light source, a displacement unit, and a scanner control unit. The light of the light source is visualized in form of a measuring beam on the object to be scanned via the radiation path of the microscope, which typically is provided with additional lenses, beam splitters, and deflecting mirrors, through the lens. The measuring beam is reflected by the object and reentering the radiation path of the scanning microscope in form of a reflection beam via the lens into. In the scanning microscope the reflection beam is typically visualized on an image display unit.
In the simplest case the image display unit is embodied as an eye-piece, through which the observer can look at the image of the measuring point on the object. Frequently, the image display unit is embodied as a camera and/or a camera with a connected evaluation unit, though, so that a camera image can be saved.
The scanner control unit is connected to the displacement unit and sends control signals thereto such that the relative position of the object to be measured and the measuring beam can be changed.
A typical displacement unit is embodied as an X-Y-table, which, depending on the signals of the object emitted by the scanner control unit, can essentially displace the object perpendicularly to the X-direction or the Y-direction. In this manner it is achieved that the measuring beam can be pointed to different predetermined, locally different measuring points on the object so that different measuring points can be measured.
However, the displacement unit can also be arranged in the radiation path of the microscope and affect the measuring beam such that it is deflected and thus it can be directed to locally different, predetermined measuring points on the object. A displacement unit can be realized, for example, by controlled rotary mirrors in the radiation path of the scanning microscope.
Using a scanning microscope it is therefore possible to light several locally different measuring points on the object by the measuring beam and to save the image for each measured point using the reflecting beam on the image display unit, such as a camera.
The measuring point on the object to be measured is beneficially located approximately in the focal area of the microscope during the measurement, so that the measuring beam at the measuring point has an extension as little as possible and thus an area on the object as small as possible is lit, allowing a high local resolution.